davis_square | three Aikido dojos

Howdy,
I've been trying to decide which of the three Aikido dojos in Som'l to join. Near Davis includes:

New England Akikai, nearest Davis
Aikido Tekkojuku Boston, in Taza chocolate's building
Shobu Aikido of Boston, near Union

I've observed classes at the NEAkikai and Tekkojuku, but am newb enough that I couldn't tell much difference. Folks at each place approached me to be welcoming and to tell me how much they liked their dojo. Prices are only slightly different. I also got the impression that NEAkikai considers itself top-of-the-heap.

I'm a total beginner, have never considered a martial art before, and am not seeking chest-thumping machismo. I wouldn't mind knowing a little boot to the head, but my priorities here are 1. not getting bored, 2. feeling supported, and 3. getting some exercise.

Wise DSLJ, care to chime in with Aikido recommendation/experience? Lyonesse? Others?

(This has been referenced in other DSLJ posts, but my request is Aikido-specific and 2011-focused. Boxing's cool, but not my thing. No jiu-jitsu, please. I already read that Oom Yung Doe is off-limits.)

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I've seen NEA and Shobu, I think either of them would be good to start with. Can't comment about Tekkojuku but frankly I have only seen one aikido dojo that was out of the ordinary, and I've seen a few in a few countries.

i learned at mit kokikai (and i teach now but usually out in littleton! :)

other schools have not quite been so much my thing, though i had a very pleasant visit at tekkojuku (and i'm sure they thought i was an idiot, as the "standard variations" we work through in kokikai are a slightly different set and i couldn't even figure out the names....)

there is a kokikai dojo in boston (a daughter to mit kokikai) which i've been to relatively rarely and don't have much to go on. i apologize for being more provincial than provincial...

but that said i think you should see if you can try mit kokikai -- maybe check their webpage at http://web.mit.edu/kokikai/ and drop them a line asking? they're not in davis, but they are a ten-minute walk from the red line at central or kendall.

or find me a suitable space and i and my two fellow instructors in littleton will lead class around here ;)

Edited 2011-03-31 22:44 (UTC)

I'd heard tell of a small posse of rogue Kokikai instructors in Somerville. I'd love to come practice with you guys at some point, although getting out to Littleton is going to be a problem for my pedestrian habits...

hee! when we go to the dojo out there we usually carpool :) but we're not rogue; we are actually three kokikai black belts and dave comi's blessing, which is what it takes to be a kokikai dojo around here. we're just a mite lame, since our space is so far away. we try to hold seminars once a month, usually wednesday evenings. all levels welcome anytime of course.

please feel free to message or email me (@lj works) and i will add you to our announcement (really more like "negotiation") lists.

You hold seminars once a month out in littleton or in the Davis area?

in littleton. i don't have a good place to practice in davis. but i live in davis, so i have to go out to littleton, so i take people in the car....

cool, asking cause if the seminars were in Davis I would mosey in! I always had an interest in aikido and a few years back when I had researched the various martial arts I had felt personally aikido suited me mentally and physically. My desire was all for the physical part but for the mind and body aspect and also the interest in the art of it- also was not aware that was different forms within aikido itself.

Oom Yung Doe is off limits?

I know little, but see previous threads and the wikipedia entry.

I've been to both NEA and Tekkojuku, NEA has a bit better space for practice (no columns in the middle of the mat), but over the years there has been some serious political foo going on between NEA instructors and between the dojo and the home dojo in Japan. If you're just starting out, it doesn't really affect you, but aikido is one of those things that takes more that a single lifetime to master, so if you are serious about training, having senior instructors that have good relations with various folks is a postive.

Tekkojuku is relative new dojo, but has some good people.

One thing to look for -- are the people smiling? Aikidio is supposed to a harmonious discipline; frowns of concentration are ok; but training isn't supposed to be a chore....

In any case, you should decide how much time you want to commit to training; I've found that the minimum to really start to get anywhere is about 4hr a week. If you just want to work out, less is ok, but if you really want to learn the "art" aspects of aikido, you're going to have to put in the hours.

Welcome to the study of Aikido! I'm psyched by how interested you are. :)

I'd had 4-ish years of Aikido Kokikai experience, plus a smattering of 6-8 months of time spent at various aikido styles around the world, before I moved to Somerville and started dojo hunting. I'm also MIT affiliated.

I visited Shobu Aikido, and was super impressed. They seem to have a very active dojo and a welcoming community! Their style seems to be more traditional than that of Kokikai (my 'home' style, which is extremely modern). I personally was turned off by the location and the price. I'm a graduate student and a pedestrian; getting to Shobu regularly was going to be a problem.

I have heard excellent things about NE Aikikai, and met several of their practitioners. I'm sad to say I have yet to visit their dojo. I will soon.

I studied briefly with the Aikikai branch at Harvard, under Hall Sensei. She's excellent. The classes (I was there over the summer) were smaller than I expected them to be - most classes seemed to weigh in at about 3-4 people, but I liked the personal attention. It was a good workout. One of my housemates practices there regularly.

I studied briefly with the Aikikai branch at MIT. That's a slightly bigger crowd of slightly older (30s+, generally?) students. Their sensei, I'm blanking on the name, is also fantastic. Very gentle. They seem to have a regular practice schedule involving 5-6 students.

I landed permanently at the Kokikai branch at MIT. I love it here; in my opinion, the people are remarkably friendly, intelligent, and responsive. Kokikai at MIT is fun, intellectually and physically stimulating. We're more 'modern' than most dojos I've practiced in; not only is our home style (Kokikai) relatively new, but our dojo leader spends a lot of time thinking and innovating on his own. We have a mixed body of students ranging from college-aged to 40+ years old; practices can range from 3-4 students to 20 or so. It can be hard to 'get into' MIT dojo, because practicing with us requires access to the MIT gym - this can be quite expensive.

Good luck, and feel free to contact me off-forum if you'd like me to elaborate, or bring you to a first class. :)

Thanks, everyone! _another_ example of Aikidoka going out of their way to be welcoming and informative.

I'll definitely try to visit Shobu now as well. Seems like I can't go too far wrong as a new student. If I get serious about it, maybe I'll address political foo and/or choices of Aikido style when I have a sense of those. I've also heard high praise for MIT's aikido elsewhere, though I'm unaffiliated and I suspect that keeping the commute as short as possible will help me show up.

dphilli, I'd already been impressed at both dojos that folks approached me unbidden to welcome me and express how much they enjoy their place, so your suggestions fit right in. And I'd wondered about the time commitment.

three Aikido dojos

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